By McPherse Thompson, Assistant News Editor THE PRESIDENT and deputy president of the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association (JMA) have both resigned in the face of criticism of their acceptance of Government's two per cent Customs user fee in place of a four per cent cess on imports.
Clarence Clarke, the JMA president, and Simon Roberts, deputy president, both advised the board of their intention to resign during a stormy meeting at their Duke Street, downtown Kingston headquarters yesterday.
Contacted, Mr. Clarke said he has resigned with immediate effect "for personal reasons", but declined to say if it had anything to do with criticisms about his handling of the contentious user fee.
"I guess you'll hear what they have to say," Mr. Clarke said, referring to other board members. Mr. Roberts was not reached for comment.
The JMA said it would be issuing a statement and convening a special meeting next week to iron out the issue.
Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies, announced in Parlia-ment on Tuesday that Cabinet had decided to accept a proposal presented by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and signed by all its representative sub-groups, to replace the four per cent cess the pre-payment of income tax with a two per cent Customs user fee on imports, effective June 1.
Dr. Davies suggested that the private sector would have been worse off with the two per cent user fee, in that the cess could have been recouped as a credit against income tax, while the revised proposal would form part of companies' cost structure.
In what was described as a stormy meeting, Mr. Clarke and his deputy reportedly came under fire from other JMA board members, who contended that they had not approved the substitution of the Customs user fee and accused the president of not articulating their position. They have vowed not to accept the two per cent user fee.
However, Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) president, Beverley Lopez, told The Gleaner that other JMA board members, apart from the president and deputy president, had participated in the discussions regarding the substitution of the two per cent Customs user fee, but she declined to name the other members. She said it was unfair to suggest that Mr. Clarke took a unilateral decision.
Mrs. Lopez said the criticisms notwithstanding, she was not ready to call it a split in the private sector about the Customs user fee. "There are differences that need to be resolved and we should try to do that," she said.
Asked if there was a difference of opinion in her own organisation about acceptance of the Customs user fee, the PSOJ president said: "I don't act alone. I have the backing... of my team."
